South Africa’s youth hold the key to rebuilding our cities

In Khayelitsha, a youth-led redesign of a major transport hub in 2024 reduced commuting times by 15% for more than 5 000 residents, according to the African Centre for Cities’ Future Streets report. The project created 200 jobs and showed how practical interventions led by young people can reshape urban spaces for efficiency and inclusion. Although modest in scale, it offered insights that speak directly to South Africa’s most pressing development priorities.

The structural constraints facing South Africa’s cities are deeply rooted in history. The 1950 Group Areas Act institutionalised a spatial framework that placed the majority of citizens in townships and rural areas distant from economic centres. Today, more than 80% of South Africans still live far from where jobs and services are concentrated. The economic effects remain evident: in townships such as Soweto, unemployment is above 40% while in core urban areas it is under 7%. The World Bank’s 2025 Poverty and Equity Brief records that Gauteng’s per capita income is nearly double that of Limpopo, illustrating how geography continues to shape economic outcomes. Added to this legacy are increasing climate pressures. National Treasury has projected a 65-billion cubic metre water shortfall by 2030, and PwC estimates that flood-related losses already exceed R10 billion annually.

Despite these constraints, young South Africans are demonstrating new approaches. In Cape Town, digital mapping of informal settlements has improved water access for 10 000 residents. In smaller towns such as Makhanda, youth groups have also played a role in supporting local trading spaces and community renewal, showing that innovation is not limited to South Africa’s largest cities. These experiences align with international precedents. In Bogotá, Colombia, World Bank studies show that transport reforms linking peripheral districts reduced unemployment by 3% in those areas. In Medellín, participatory budgeting allowed residents, including youth, to guide municipal spending decisions. Communities prioritised projects such as hillside cable cars and public spaces, and economic activity in targeted districts rose by about 15%. The lesson for South Africa is that when citizens shape priorities, projects reflect real needs, build trust and deliver measurable gains. Singapore offers another model: its investment in climate-resilient transport produced a fivefold return for every rand invested, showing that inclusive infrastructure can also be fiscally sound.

To build on these lessons, South Africa requires deliberate and coordinated action. The first step is to embed community-driven planning as a standard in municipal governance, with youth central to the process. Ring-fenced budgets for youth councils would allow them to prioritise projects such as transport links, safe trading hubs and neighbourhood upgrades. The Medellín example demonstrates that such approaches can strengthen both legitimacy and outcomes.

Technology provides a second lever. With internet penetration at 76% (World Bank, 2025), South Africa is well placed to expand digital platforms that link young people to training, jobs and transport. Kenya’s Huduma platform reached 1.5 million users and increased citizen participation by 8%. Ghana’s technology hubs trained 500 000 people in digital skills. Locally, Johannesburg’s smart traffic management pilots reduced commuting times by 10% in test zones while youth-led mapping applications in Cape Town highlight the value of open data. PwC projects that platforms connecting township youth to transport and employment could generate as many as 50 000 new jobs annually.

A third imperative is financing climate-smart infrastructure through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs), long-term agreements in which government and private firms share costs, risks and benefits. South Africa faces a R69 billion water investment gap and R10 billion in annual flood losses. Durban’s youth-led green roof initiatives reduced flood damage in pilot zones by 20%. Kenya’s water PPPs created thousands of jobs in construction and maintenance. Singapore’s PPP frameworks demonstrate that with transparency and accountability, such partnerships can deliver infrastructure both efficiently and equitably. For South Africa, the 2025 G20 presidency provides a chance to present a credible pipeline of youth-led, climate-resilient projects to a global impact investment market valued at over $1 trillion.

Some observers highlight fiscal constraints. Debt levels projected by the Internatioanal Monetary Fund at 78.8% of GDP in 2025 place pressure on public resources and raise questions about affordability. Others point to concerns about municipal capacity to deliver complex projects or the risk of private-sector dominance in PPPs. These considerations are valid. Yet the evidence shows that inaction carries even greater costs: spatial inefficiencies already drain R500 billion from GDP each year through lost productivity and heightened security expenditure. Strong governance mechanisms, including public dashboards, independent monitoring and community oversight, can help address capacity and accountability risks. Well-designed PPP frameworks with clear affordability safeguards can ensure that risk is shared fairly.

There is also a view that education should be prioritised before urban transformation. In practice, education and spatial systems are interdependent. A qualification has limited value if a graduate cannot reach a workplace affordably or if township enterprises remain disconnected from logistics networks. Bogotá’s experience shows that spatial transformation reduced unemployment independently of education, demonstrating that access and learning must progress in tandem.

The credibility of these approaches lies in measurable results. Commute times can be recorded in minutes saved per trip. Youth employment should be expressed in actual numbers of first jobs and apprenticeships created. Flood damage avoided can be measured in rand terms. Small business turnover in upgraded areas should be tracked. Such clear metrics allow citizens, policymakers and investors to assess outcomes with confidence.

South Africa’s G20 presidency in 2025 provides an opportunity to elevate this agenda on the global stage. A Youth Urban Summit could bring together mayors, youth leaders, financiers, developers and policymakers to showcase tested initiatives and explore how they might be scaled nationally. If designed with transparency and measurable outcomes in mind, such a gathering could signal to both citizens and investors that South Africa is serious about inclusive growth and resilient cities.

Every delay in addressing spatial inefficiencies compounds economic costs and deepens inequality. Conversely, each redesigned corridor, revitalised market and secured water system signals progress towards an inclusive, competitive and resilient economy. Urban transformation is not peripheral; it is central to national growth and cohesion. South Africa’s youth have already demonstrated what is possible. It is now the responsibility of national leadership to match their pace and vision.

Nomvula Zeldah Mabuza is a Risk Governance and Compliance Specialist with extensive experience in strategic risk and industrial operations. She holds a Diploma in Business Management (Accounting) from Brunel University, UK, and is an MBA candidate at Henley Business School, South Africa.

*** The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Independent Media or IOL.

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